Avalanches

Impacts of Avalanches

Avalanches can destroy property, disrupt transportation and communication networks and recreational facilities, and cause human injuries and deaths. These effects occur through the forward force of the moving snow, the crushing weight of snow where it stops, and smothering of people buried in the snow. Recent avalanches caused property damages of $9.1 million in Iceland (1995) and $3 million in Tajikistan (2005). Expensive programs are in place to reduce the impacts of avalanches. Costs for avalanche prevention and mitigation programs in Austria and Switzerland alone for the past 50 years totaled $2.3 billion.

The average annual number of deaths due to avalanches is more than 150 worldwide and is increasing. There are about 100 deaths annually in Europe, 25 in the United States, and 15 in Canada. Avalanches kill a disproportionate number of young people (median age 25–33 years) and men (88 percent). Worldwide, most victims of avalanches are participating in outdoor winter activities, such as climbing, back-country skiing, out-of-bounds skiing, helicat skiing, or snowmobiling. Victims are commonly buried in the avalanche and the primary causes of death are asphyxia and trauma. In Iceland, where many communities have been established along the steep coasts of deep fjords on avalanche-prone terrain, more deaths occur in buildings than outdoors. About 680 people have been killed by avalanches in Iceland since the 12th century.

The deadliest avalanche in U.S. history killed 96 people on two snowbound trains near Stevens Pass, Washington, on March 1, 1910. At least 70 prospectors traveling to the Klondike Gold Fields were killed by an avalanche on the Chilkoot Pass, Alaska, on April 3, 1898.

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